Chapter 962: Scorpion Lady, Xu Hui
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The galaxy was filled with silence at that instant. Su Ming stared at the four cultivators, and the four cultivators stared back at him. No one spoke. After some time, Xu Hui's fake cough broke the silence, and it caused the four cultivators to recover from their shock.
They were not shocked due to Su Ming's arrival. After all, this was within the scope of what they had expected to happen, and they were already prepared for it. What they were shocked about was the bald crane.
The ferocious beast they idolized slightly and even dreamed about taming when they became stronger in the future already… already had a master. They did not know of the bald crane's specific level of cultivation. Even if they noticed that it was not really that strong when they saw it now and sensed its power with their hearts, they still believed that the crane they initially saw leading one million beasts into a state of frenzy was definitely not an ordinary crane, since there were two things in the universe called hiding a one's true power and seals.
At that moment, as their hearts were in a state of shock and Xu Hui's fake cough echoed in space, the four cultivators moved back practically on instinct. Xuan Shang only managed to take three steps back before he forced himself to stop. He knew that he could not escape, and he couldn't bring himself to even give rise to the thought of attacking. Even if the four of them had their killing moves… Su Ming alone was enough to make their minds crumble, and that bald crane was also around.
The grin on the woman beside Su Ming also terrified him.
Xuan Shang was not the only one who was sensible among the four cultivators. Hua Yu snapped to his senses after he retreated one hundred something feet. When he saw that Su Ming and the others did not chase after them, he forced himself to a halt while feeling anxious, then wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed towards Su Ming and his group.
Yun You and Nian Yin were slightly slower in terms of reaction. At that moment, they were already a hundred thousand feet away. But just as they were about to charge even farther ahead with Fleeing Blood, ripples shone in the space in front of them, and Xu Hui walked out from them.
She was still grinning, but there was a murderous look in her eyes. She was slightly angry. After all, these four people had only started fleeing after she coughed.
"Why did you run after seeing me?"
Once Xu Hui walked out, she lifted her right hand and swung it before herself. With it, the image of the moon appeared in front of her, and Yun You and Nian Yin's expressions instantly changed.
"Lunar Kalpa Realm!"
The two of them instantly moved and split up to run in two different directions. The one called Yun You noticed that two of his companions had already given up on escaping, so with a bitter laugh, he stopped as well.
Only Nian Yin continued charging forward at full speed, even coughing up blood to execute Fleeing Blood. His speed increased exponentially, but before he could move ten thousand feet away from Xu Hui, his body manifested from the blood shadow, and as he screamed in pain, he coughed up blood again. Strangely, there was nothing bizarre around him, but his body still tumbled backwards, as if he had been bounced back by an invisible barrier.
As he fell back, his hair looked as if it was seized by an invisible hand, which was dragging him back.
When the cultivator called Nian Yin was thrown to the spot in front of the Void Beast where Su Ming was, most of his hair had been ripped off. Blood filled the entirety of his face, and it was flowing down his cheeks. His face was filled with shock and disbelief as he stared at Xu Hui, who walked out of the space beside him.
"Go on, run. Why aren't you running anymore?" Xu Hui asked with a grin, then raised her right hand and pointed at Nian Yin. Two wisps of red and white smoke surrounded him, and at the instant they touched his body, the red smoke fused into his chest, and the white smoke disappeared into his throat and lower region.
The expressions of the other three cultivators changed drastically, and they even let out shocked cries, because they immediately saw Nian Yin's originally flat chest… rise up!
His Adam's apple shrank before their eyes until it disappeared, and his rough skin turned light in the blink of an eye. His fingers turned smooth, so they looked lithe and soft. From all of these physical changes, it was evident that… the Yin and Yang aura of this person had been reversed, and he changed from a man… to a woman!
Nian Yin was momentarily stunned before he let out a shrill scream of pain. Yet even his screams had a sharp edge to them. They were no longer as sonorous and deep as those of a man's voice, but had become as gentle as those of a woman.
His changes were quite evident regarding his posterior, too. As his body changed, it clearly grew in size. In fact, the lines of his body had become curved.
All of this brought about an indescribable shock and terror to the other three cultivators. And even Su Ming felt his eyelids twitch. His heart thumped rapidly a few times in his chest, and when he looked towards Xu Hui after that, a hint of wariness appeared in his eyes.
The bald crane also widened its eyes. This scene caused it to shudder, and even the Abyss Dragon by its side instinctively moved back. When it looked at Xu Hui, its gaze was filled with terror.
"A cultivator prefers death to humiliation [1]!"
Nian Yin's expression was filled with bitterness. He was the one who knew all the changes in his body the clearest. At that moment, he could no longer describe the complicated feelings in his heart. There was grief and indignation within him as he shouted at Xu Hui.
Su Ming frowned. He could kill a person without hesitation… but he would not be able to humiliate someone like this. But just as he was about to speak, the cultivator whose physical characteristics had been changed shouted again.
"I have no grudge or enmity with you, and we only ran into each other due to coincidence! If you do this, aren't you afraid of being punished by heaven?! Aren't you afraid of receiving retribution?! Come! If you want to kill me, then kill me!"
Xu Hui chuckled softly.
"You make yourself sound really reasonable. When my husband met you the first time, he did not attack you. It's normal for you to want to run, since you harbor secrets within you, but not being able to escape means that you are simply not good enough. We caught up to you, and my husband was not even thinking of punishing you too greatly. He just intended to question you a little. If you answered frankly, with my understanding towards him, you would have parted ways peacefully.
"Besides, you are in Divine Essence Star Ocean. Your power is not sufficient for you to dig out any sort of secrets. If my husband joined you, the possibility of you becoming successful would increase by several fold. What's not good about it?
"But I only coughed once and you ran. You didn't manage to escape in the end, but now you're shouting with righteous indignation," Xu Hui said with a smile.
Xuan Shang and the other two fell silent, and a contemplative look appeared on their faces. Xu Hui's words were not domineering in their ears, and the truth was just as she said, so the trio could not help but start to think about it.
However, Nian Yin's heart was in turmoil due to his physical characteristics having been changed. He refused to register even a single word from Xu Hui speech and let out a cold snort. Yet the moment he did that, Xu Hui's next sentence immediately caused his expression to change drastically.
"The Art you practice should be the Great Annual Wheel Dharma Art. I only noticed it just now, and judging from this, your family name is Nian, and you came from True Morning Dao World.
"Let me think. The Nian Hua Family from True Morning Dao World is a family built by a sect that dissociated themselves from the Immortals in the past. Three thousand something years ago, a family member killed another member of his family, and when he was captured, his cultivation base was destroyed and he was sent into the Barren Lands of Divine Essence as a punishment. That person is you, right?
"But your cultivation base is still around. Looks like the Nian Hua Family is behind you in this operation of yours."
"Who are you?!" As Nian Yin's expression changed, Xuan Shang and the other two cultivators' pupils shrank in fear. They looked towards Xu Hui simultaneously.
"Me? My name is Xu Hui, and I'm from Phoenix Sect." Xu Hui smiled faintly and looked at Su Ming, who was frowning clearly slightly displeased in his heart.
"Phoenix Sect?! Xu Hui… You are Phoenix Sect's Sacred Lady!"
Nian Yin was momentarily stunned, then all his anger drained away from him. He became dispirited, and in his anguish, he gave up on all forms of resistance. In fact, from the changes of his expression, it was clear that he was filled with alarm and fear towards Phoenix Sect.
"That's right. It is the Phoenix Sect which all cultivators secretly refer to as the Sinister Sect in True Morning Dao World, and I am the Scorpion Lady Xu Hui, one of the two you secretly refer to as the Snake and Scorpion Ladies," Xu Hui said with a grin. This was the first time Su Ming heard this, and he was stunned. These things did not exist in Dao Kong's memories, which was perhaps related to Dao Kong's status and experiences.
In fact, Su Ming had always been slightly puzzled as to why Dao Kong had so few memories. After all, the more memories a living creature had, the more difficult it would be to Possess that person, and Dao Kong's memories were only the basics of what a person would have.
Scorpion Lady Xu Hui—this was how the cultivators in True Morning Dao Sect secretly referred to one of the two great Sacred Ladies in Phoenix Sect. Based on the title itself, there was definitely a reason behind why Phoenix Sect was privately known as the Sinister Sect.
Su Ming was silent. He suddenly understood why Xu Hui had no qualms whatsoever when she did something. If she had such a 'great' reputation in the world outside, then it was surely related to her actions when she was in True Morning Dao Sect.
Scorpions were venomous, but the venom did not lie in their mouths, and neither was it in their claws. Instead, it was contained in their tails. They were incredibly quick and small, which would mean that they would not bring about too much attention from others. However, at a critical moment, just the slightest mistake on their enemies' part would mean death form venom. This was the terrifying aspect of scorpions.
Snakes were skilled in hiding and waiting. Usually, they would hide their venomous fangs and would not casually reveal them. They would lie still without moving for long periods of time, but once they moved, they would kill. This comparison reminded Su Ming of another girl, which was related to a pain-filled first love.
He had known a long time ago that there were two Sacred Ladies in Phoenix Sect. One of them was Xu Hui, and the other… was the Snake Lady Bai Ling. This was something he knew from Dao Kong's memories.
In fact, Su Ming knew that there was a high possibility that Xu Hui had known about his name since a long time ago, whether it would be because Bai Ling had told her or because Xu Hui would have secretly investigated him. Either way, there was a high chance that she knew about him.
That was why Xu Hui had been able to say right from the get go that Su Ming was thinking about a woman when they were in the mountain of the Ninth Tribe. It was also that one sentence of her that had sunk him into a dream that should not have been seen by cultivators, but had been seen by him.
It was at that time that Su Ming came to know that he was obsessed with the promise itself, and not Bai Ling. He had then put an end to that burden in his heart and walked through a change of heart.
Su Ming did not believe that this was a coincidence, but no matter what, he could tell that Xu Hui's actions were mostly filled with good intentions in regards to that matter. That was why he had never pointed it out.
Translator's Note:
1. A cultivator prefers death to humiliation: The original is 'a scholar prefers death to humiliation'. Since we're in this context, I thought it would be more appropriate to say cultivator instead of scholar.
Chapter 963: Resentful Wei
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Everyone has their own secrets, and there is no need for anyone to forcibly obtain them. Even if the four cultivators had a secret, if they insisted on not telling it, Su Ming would not force them. In truth, the thing he saw as the most important was the fact that the four of them were heading to Dust Burners, and he too wanted to go to them.
A person's age would not show whether they had truly become mature, and neither would their maturity show in the wrinkles that appeared on their bodies as time passed. It would instead show in whether a person learned how to tolerate another.
There were some things that did not need to be spoken. As long as people were willing to tolerate it, then everything would be fine.
Su Ming did not know how to be tolerant towards others in the past, but after going through so many things, he had learned how to be tolerant in certain areas.
'If you do not want to tell, then I won't ask.'
In truth, the difference between knowing about something then keeping it a secret and knowing about something then talking incessantly about it lay between whether a person was mature or immature.
Su Ming sat down cross-legged on the Void Beast and said faintly, "Alright, Xu Hui. Turn him back."
Xu Hui turned her head around to cast Su Ming a glance. A smile appeared on her face. How could she not know about the things Su Ming knew? But there was only happiness in this mode of communication. There were no schemes, and neither were there any other sort of thought contained within it.
Such moments were rarely found in her life.
That was why Xu Hui wanted to treasure this. She did not want to lose this atmosphere of their communication after the truth had been brought out.
They were foolish. They were being rarely foolish.
She nodded obediently, then raised her right hand which she swung at Nian Yin. Two wisps of smoke that were purple and blue landed on the cultivator, causing his Adam's apple to appear, the bumps on his chest to become flat, his posterior to shrink, and his skin to become rough once again from its formerly smooth state.
Once Xu Hui finished doing all this, she returned to Su Ming's side.
"If the four of you feel like telling me your secret, you can say it. If you don't want to, I won't make things difficult for you… but I want to know how to get to Dust Burners. I've been watching the path you took. You should have a map with you. Tell me the route and I will immediately leave," Su Ming said calmly.
The markers regarding Dust Burners on the map Dijiu Mo Sha had given him were incredibly fuzzy. After all, this tribe was not like Heaven Traversers who were located in the outer layer of the inner part of Divine Essence Star Ocean. Dust Burners were located in a region close to the core of the Star Ocean. It was… a place where Ninth Tribe had never gone before.
Which was why their markings regarding Dust Burners only provided Su Ming with a general outline but not the specifics. If he was to search for them blindly, the difficulty would be incredibly great, and the dangers in it would also be very high.
Once Nian Yin's body returned to normal, his face turned pale and he immediately returned to his group's side. He did not dare look at Xu Hui. Perhaps the other true worlds did not know the details of this woman's reputation, but as someone from True Morning Dao World, he knew well that this woman could be said to be an existence that would cause others' faces to change color when they spoke about her. She killed others as if she was swatting flies, and the level of malice as well as viciousness within her heart was enough to cause others to tremble in fear.
However, while being wary of Xu Hui, he was shocked by Su Ming. Xu Hui, who was known as the Scorpion Lady, was a merciless and heartless person. The open strife and veiled fights between her and the Snake Lady were never-ending. Besides their own Masters, it was unheard of that anyone else could make them be obedient.
Yet with one sentence, Su Ming had actually made Xu Hui turn him back. If he told others about this, no one would believe him.
When Nian Yin lowered his head, Xuan Shang and the others exchanged glances with each other. They remained silent for a moment before Xuan Shang patted his storage bag and brought out a jade slip. Once he focused his attention and Branded it, he threw the slip towards Su Ming.
"This is the map that will lead you to Dust Burners. Senior, the spot next to you is a Relocation Vortex. When you walk out of the other end, there will be detailed marks on the map leading you to the place."
Su Ming took the jade slip. Once he scanned it with his Atman, he looked at the four people in close scrutiny. Then, the Void Beast beneath him slowly turned around and floated towards the Relocation Vortex.
When they were beside the Relocation Vortex, the Void Beast came to a halt, and Su Ming said softly, "All of you, you should go in first."
Xuan Shang nodded. He could guess that Su Ming would definitely not believe in him so easily. After all, if he was in Su Ming's place, he would do the same thing. He was not against it, since he did not do anything to the map. At that moment, he looked at the trio beside him, completely unperturbed, and once they exchanged glances with each other, they chose to obey.
The four of them turned into long arcs and charged at the Relocation Vortex. When they closed in, they did not hesitate. Xuan Shang was the first to step in, while Nian Yin came right after. The other two stepped in moments later.
After they disappeared, the Void Beast beneath Su Ming looked as if it sucked in a deep breath. Its body shrank, and when it became only about hundreds of feet in size, it crawled into the Relocation Vortex. Its body instantly fused inside before disappearing without a trace.
Within the vortex was the colorful world. In a gigantic, semi-transparent tunnel were Xuan Shang and the other three, and all of them had their eyes closed while allowing their bodies to glide through as they were pulled forward. Behind them was the Void Beast that was now hundreds of feet in size. Standing on its back was Xu Hui, who had her eyes wide open while she observed her surroundings. As for the bald crane, it naturally did not close its eyes due to its personality. Instead, it stared at its surroundings.
The Abyss Dragon did not know about the necessity of closing its eyes, and also looked around.
Su Ming had never taken to the habit of closing his eyes in the place. At the instant he entered the world in the vortex, he immediately looked into the distance – at the dark depths where the familiar ripples of power lay.
The corners of Su Ming's lips curled up slightly. He sensed the dragon-headed black horse's presence. That black horse clearly remembered Su Ming very deeply. This time, right when Su Ming entered the vortex, it immediately charged forth from the distance at full speed.
"It's coming again." Xu Hui's voice was calm, but a hint of anxiety flashed briefly in her eyes.
She remembered clearly that when the black horse had caught up to Su Ming the last time, he had nearly been unable to leave this world.
"Who? Who's coming?" The bald crane widened its eyes and looked around continuously. While it was searching, a roar that stirred up a large number of ripples echoed in the world.
This roar shocked and terrified the people's hearts, causing the tunnel to tremble and made the colorful jellyfish-like existences around them to quickly retreat.
It also caused Xuan Shang and the other three's expressions to change, but they kept their eyes firmly shut.
Su Ming directed his attention towards the noise, and a smile appeared at the corners of his lips. The more he saw the black horse, the fonder he grew of it. The desire to tame it also grew stronger in his heart. If it was not because the black horse possessed power equivalent to Masters of Fate, Su Ming would have taken forceful actions a long time ago.
"Sooner or later, you will be mine."
Su Ming stood up. He could sense that as the black horse roared from the distance, the Void Beast beneath him started trembling violently, conveying just how terrified it was. Clearly, the shock and fear brought by the roar was even greater for a beast.
"Don't provoke it. The last time, you…" Xu Hui could not help but worry, which was evident on her face. And it was not fake, but a true manifestation of what she was feeling in her heart.
"You don't have to bother."
Resolve appeared in Su Ming's eyes. He stared at the darkness in the distance, vaguely able to tell that there was a long arc there charging towards him at an indescribable speed.
There were six dim balls of light in the long arc. Those were the horse's six eyes. The arrogance within them were the source of Su Ming's resolve.
This time, the horse had been clearly farther away from Su Ming. That was why based on his experience, he knew that it would be difficult for the horse to reveal itself before they left the vortex. After all, the distance between them was simply too great.
Su Ming wanted to see the horse, and he also wanted the black horse to see him.
He wanted that prideful black horse to remember his provocation. He wanted the horse to immediately appear when he stepped into the vortex. To do this, he needed the black horse to have an incredibly deep impression of him, and for this prideful existence, provocation would become the source of an obsession it would never be able to ignore.
Su Ming moved swiftly. Once he walked off the Void Beast, he threw his head back and let out a long roar. That roar shook the entire world. It continued reverberating in the void, stirring up an endless amount of echoes.
This immediately caused the four cultivators' expressions to change. They could not help but start cursing in their hearts. This was the world in the vortex. It was a place where they were not allowed to open their eyes and let out a single sound, or else they would run into incredible danger.
This was something they learned a long time ago in incredible detail when they were just introduced to Relocation Vortices. Yet now, Su Ming's long roar behind them completely broke the silence within this quiet world in the vortex.
That long roar was also filled with a thick air of provocation, which penetrated through the endless depths and landed in the black horse's ears as it charged forward. Boundless anger appeared in its eyes, and it responded to Su Ming with a roar as well as a speed that increased by almost one hundred times.
Su Ming smiled. This was the black horse's true speed.
Time trickled by. One breath passed, then another, and another. When everyone was near the Relocation Vortex's exit, Su Ming saw a long arc at the corner of his vision, and it was coming at them with an indescribable speed. Along with that long arc was a sea of fire that surged into the sky, as well as a black horse with two dragon heads.
This horse was several thousands of feet tall. It stood on fire, and black smoke as well as flames escaped its nostrils when it breathed. A fierce light shone in its eyes. When it lifted its head, it let out its third roar, and galloped on flames while charging towards Su Ming.
From the distance, it looked as if the world in the vortex was burning. When the flames crackled, they swept in all directions.
"You-you-you…"
When the black horse's body was completely revealed, the bald crane shuddered violently. It flapped its wings, widened its eyes, put on a face full of disbelief, and pointed at the black horse.
"Damn it all, that's a Resentful Wei [1]! There are still Resentful Weis in the world?! Two dragon heads… This means it's still a baby. Damn it! How can this be possible!" the bald crane cried out in a shrill voice, yelling out the things it remembered as some fragmented memories appeared in its head at the instant it saw the black horse.
"What's a Resentful Wei?!" Su Ming asked while staring at the black horse. He knew that the bald crane had a mysterious past and at that its memories were fragmented. It would only occasionally remember certain things.
"Beyond the four Great True Worlds, and even past the Fifth True World were three Great Ancient Kingdoms. One of them was Wei. This kingdom had countless cultivators, but in a single night, all of them died. Once the entire ancient kingdom was reduced to ashes, all the cultivators' souls gathered together to turn into resentment. This resentment lay in silence for several centuries until eventually forming into Resentful Weis!"
Su Ming's pupils swiftly contracted.
Translator's Note:
1. Resentful Wei (怨魏, Yuan4 Wei4): Two words originally from Shiji/Historical Records/Records of the Great Historian (all the same). It's not a term, per see, because the original phrase is 以怨魏齐故, and the 怨魏 here is a verb + noun. It means 'Because he hated Wei Qiqu for almost beating him to death'.
怨 can only mean grudge or resentment, but for 魏, it can be 1) a country's name in Ancient China, 2) a surname, 3) big and tall.
Since 魏 is clearly the name of a country here, Resentful Wei was chosen.
Chapter 964: Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"The Resentful Weis are not accepted by the universe, because it was heaven's will that Ancient Wei was destroyed. Yet the souls of Wei did not perish but gathered together to become resentment. This meant that they were standing up against the universe, and so had to be destroyed!
"Those who kill a Resentful Wei can obtain the universe's kismet. No matter what they do, everything will go according to their plan. It was also why the two other Ancient Kingdoms had surrounded and exterminated them in the past.
"This race was then completely destroyed, and not a single Resentful Wei was left. But-but there's a Resentful Wei in here! Kill it! If you manage to kill it, then no matter how many years pass, you will have the universe's kismet on you. It'll be especially helpful since people who have the universe's kismet are incredibly rare in the years after the Great Destruction!
"Su Ming, your cultivation base clone was born with a kismet. Since that's the case, if you kill this creature, you will get even more of it! This kismet thing might be insubstantial, but it'll guarantee you success in everything that you want to do for ten thousand years!"
There was a solemn never seen before expression on the bald crane's face. The sleaziness that always existed when it spoke was no longer present in its words. Instead, there was an upright and dignified presence within them.
However, that presence was swiftly dissipating. The bald crane shuddered, and confusion appeared in its eyes. It was as if the one who had said those words just then had not been the bald crane itself!
"What is the relationship between the three Great Ancient Kingdoms and five Great True Worlds?" Su Ming immediately asked.
"The nine Great True Worlds are the earth of the Lower Realm, and the three Great Ancient Kingdoms are the sky of the Higher Realm. Only when they are joined together do they form the additional Expanse Cosmos… Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos [1], the one that is beyond Dark Dawn's 180 Expanse Cosmoses, and Saint Defier's 180 Expanse Cosmoses!
"No matter whether it is Saint Defier who loses one Cosmos or Dark Dawn obtaining one more Cosmos, whoever will obtain one hundred and eighty-one Cosmoses first… will be able to wage war!" When the bald crane said these words, its head lolled to the side and it immediately fainted. Its body was caught by the Abyss Dragon.
Su Ming's heart trembled. Xu Hui's expression also changed as she stood by the side. Clearly, the bald crane's words were secrets they had never heard before. Those words might seem incredibly ordinary, but if one was to mull over the profound meaning behind them, then it would definitely cause a storm in the person's mind.
Dark Dawn's 180 Expanse Cosmoses as well as Saint Defier's 180 Expanse Cosmoses meant that Su Ming's knowledge had just been endlessly expanded within an instant. It allowed him to learn just how big and vast was the universe.
It did not matter whether it was Morning Dao World or Sacred Yin World. Even if he added in the Emperor of Abyss' World, the mysterious Fourth True World and the Fifth True World that had disappeared, the other four True Worlds that had vanished during the Great Destruction, they still did not form the complete Arid Triad. They needed to add in the three Ancient Kingdoms to form a complete Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos.
And… there were three hundred and sixty other Cosmoses that were about the size of this complete Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos. The universe… was infinitely huge!
Even for a Master of Fate, Lives, and Death, where would this single person's power be ranked among all the other people in the 361 Expanse Cosmoses?
Su Ming and Xu Hui were not the only ones who were struck silent by the bald crane's words. Xuan Shang and the other three in front of them also experienced unprecedented shock. They could not help but open their eyes completely and turn their heads around to look at the bald crane.
They had heard its words. Their expressions changed, which was a telling sign that they could not accept this truth for a time being. They thought that the four Great True Worlds constituted the edge of the universe, and what they were surprised about was the Fifth True World which existed as a legend in their minds.
Yet at that moment, their beliefs were completely crushed. In truth, besides the five True Worlds, there were four other True Worlds. Besides them, there were also three Great Ancient Kingdoms. And only when the three Great Ancient Kingdoms and the nine Great True Worlds fused together would a complete Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos be formed. And even then… besides the Arid Triad Expanse Cosmos, there were still Dark Dawn's 180 Expanse Cosmoses and Saint Defier's 180 Expanse Cosmoses. There were 360 Expanses Cosmoses in total!
The first thing that rose in the minds of the four people was doubt. However, Su Ming and Xu Hui's expressions as well as the ancient air that came with the bald crane's words when it spoke just then told the cultivators' instincts… that at least eight-tenths of all that was said was real, even though there was no proof to verify whether it was so!
In the mid of their silence, the fourth roar from the Resentful Wei echoed in the air. The dragon-headed black horse that was thousands of feet big appeared in everyone's field of vision, swiftly closing in on them. The pride and the air that allowed no provocation in its six eyes was incredibly strong.
Su Ming quietly watched the black horse getting closer to him. As he stared at it, the bald crane's words echoed in his head. He suddenly felt that there was some degree of similarity between him and the black horse.
This creature had been sent away by its kin when it was still a newborn at the time its race was being destroyed. It then became its race's sole survivor, and Su Ming… was also the same.
Others had worked together to kill its kin, and it was the same case for the Abyss Builders.
Both the black horse and Su Ming had grown up in places that were not their homelands, and they both had yet to enter them.
Su Ming's silence and his thoughts were shown in his eyes. The instant the black horse saw this, it came to a halt, but soon, it raised its head up high. It gave off the air of looking down at Su Ming and carried itself with a bearing that it did not ask for pity.
It stared at Su Ming coldly, then rushed forward. It had become even faster.
However, while the distance between them might have seemed close, they were actually far away from each other. In the world within the vortex, distances that did not seem great were in truth incredibly far apart. The black horse's speed might be unparalleled, but since the distance between them was incredibly great, it could not catch up to Su Ming and his group within a dozen something breaths.
Besides, Su Ming could vaguely sense that there seemed… to be a certain limit on speed in this world. They could not shift in here.
He could see that there seemed to be barriers around the black horse, and it was crashing into them continuously. This was clearly the reason why its speed was limited. As it moved forward, it would be as if it crashed one barrier after another.
Su Ming did not choose to provoke it again. Instead, as Xuan Shang and the other three disappeared, he vanished from the world in the vortex as well.
A roar mixed with a note of grief that no one else could hear but Su Ming came from the black horse's mouth and lingered in the air for a long time.
The galaxy in the inner parts of Divine Essence Star Ocean appeared like a clear lake. There was not a single speck of dust there, so those who saw could not help but get immersed in this beauty that they would be unable to see in other places.
This place was incredibly far away from Heaven Traversers. If they had flown normally, Su Ming would have needed to press on without stopping for an entire year with his speed.
At that moment, once the group appeared, Su Ming quietly looked at the exit of the Relocation Vortex. The bald crane's words continued echoing in his head and refused to vanish.
Xu Hui was in a slightly absent-minded state, thinking hard about something.
"Huh? We're out? Well, damn it all, how did I fall asleep?"
The bald crane opened its eyes at that moment, but there was a deep fatigue on its face. It jumped around a few times and mumbled under its breath, incredibly puzzled.
However, after only mumbling a few sentences, it saw the Abyss Dragon looking at it with a slightly complicated look on its face. Xu Hui, the four cultivators, and even Su Ming were also looking at it.
"What's wrong? Why are you all staring at me?" The bald crane felt slightly scared, and goosebumps appeared all over its skin. It was feeling incredibly nervous, and a wary expression appeared on its face. It took a few steps back and had its claws press firmly on the ground.
"I don't have crystals! I don't have crystals…" the bald crane shouted loudly.
Su Ming stared at the bald crane for a moment before averting his gaze and sitting down cross-legged on the Void Beast. He patted the beast, and it started moving. It turned around and glided into the distance.
Once they came out the time for Su Ming to part ways with the four cultivators also arrived. Su Ming might have killed many people in his life, having cut living creatures like swatting flies, and appeared to enjoy killing, but the truth wasn't like that. As long as no one provoked him, directly or indirectly, he would not attack. There were no grudges shared between the four cultivators and Su Ming, so he did not harbor the intention to kill them. Once the Void Beast left into the distance, layers of ripples gradually appeared in the galaxy.
Xu Hui hesitated for a moment, but after sneaking a peak at Su Ming, she did not say anything. Instead, she sat down beside him. As for the bald crane, it had currently seized the Abyss Dragon and was asking it something in a whisper. There was not even the need to hear them to be able to guess that the bald crane was definitely asking about why the group was looking at it so strangely just then.
When the four cultivators came out of the vortex, they were filled with a high level of vigilance. The bald crane rousing from its sleep might have attracted some of their attention and shocked them with its words, but they were currently facing a matter that concerned their survival, and they did not have the pleasure of thinking about other things. Most of their attention was placed on remaining on guard.
They did not know whether Su Ming would keep to his promise, but when they saw him leaving into the distance with his group, the four of them let out sighs of relief in their hearts. Yet at the same time, once they exchanged glances, they saw the hesitation in one another's eyes.
One of the sentences Xu Hui had said had struck a chord in their hearts.
With their power, they did not have too much confidence in succeeding with their plan. In truth, they needed to rely on luck. However, if Su Ming and Xu Hui joined them, then the chances of them succeeding would be much higher.
This was a choice. On one side, they would suffer no loss, but the chances of them succeeding would not be great. On the other hand, while they would have to suffer some loss in terms of profit, the chances of them succeeding would be greater.
When they saw that Su Ming and the others had left into the distance, the four of them exchanged glances one more time, and three faces turned to Xuan Shang. After all, the leader of this operation was him, and it would be best that he made the choice.
Xuan Shang's expression changed several times. If Su Ming had forced them into an interrogation, then even if he had said it, he would have definitely searched for a chance to counterattack during their journey in the future. However, Su Ming did not force them. This caused Xuan Shang to fall into uncertainty before he quickly weighed the pros and cons. Then, he gritted his teeth with force, took a few steps forward, and wrapped his fist in his palm towards Su Ming, who had already left into the distance.
"Senior, please wait, I am willing to tell you our secret in exchange for you joining our operation. If we work together, we will definitely succeed."
"Not interested," Su Ming said, his voice traveling behind him and echoing in the galaxy. The Void Beast beneath him did not stop and went farther away.
"This concerns the activation of the fifth kiln!" Xuan Shang immediately said.
Translator's Notes:
1. Lower Realm, Higher Realm, Expanse Cosmos: Taken from Renegade Immortal and ISSTH.
Chapter 965: The Fifth Kiln
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The most important things to Su Ming in Divine Essence Star Ocean were all related to the Fifth True World, and if he wanted to go to there, he needed the fifth stone!
However, this fifth stone was incredibly rare. All everyone knew was that it was produced in the fifth kiln, but not who had it.
However, there was no regular pattern in the activation of the fifth kiln. Sometimes it would activate after a few decades. At other times, it would take several centuries, and occasionally, several thousands of years. The longest recorded interval was twenty thousand years.
As one of the most mysterious places in Divine Essence Star Ocean, no one except the people who went into the fifth kiln before knew what was inside, and even if someone managed to return alive, they would naturally not tell the others much about it. The information they obtained would become the greatest secrets of their race, so that it would be easier for the members of their race to head into the fifth kiln when it appeared again.
The fifth kiln's location had always been a secret. Unless someone searched through the entire Divine Essence Star Ocean with the flames as their guide when it was activated, then the people who wanted to find it could only look to the east of their cultivation planet. There, they would see the strange sun, which was the fifth kiln.
Yet if they were to look for it, then even if they walked to the ends of the universe, they would find that they were still unable to reach the fifth kiln. This was like a mirage. A person could see it, could stretch their hand towards it, but what they would obtain in exchange would be just ripples. They would be unable to take anything.
Su Ming was not putting on airs when Xuan Shang invited him the first time. He was truly not interested in it. There were countless wastelands in Divine Essence Star Ocean, as well as countless places where Gods fell asleep. It could be said that there was a possibility that any of these places could contain a serendipity and treasures that would cause people to fight over them.
He could search for these serendipities alone if he wanted, not taking other people. However, Su Ming's main focus was not on those serendipities. He wanted to go according to his plan and take revenge on the other three venerated races while waiting for the activation of the fifth kiln.
If it would happen, it would be good, but if he could not wait for long enough, then he could only return to True Morning Dao World with regrets in his heart.
That was why… the instant Xuan Shang's second sentence landed in Su Ming's ears, his eyes flew open. He raised his right hand and patted the Void Beast, which instantly stopped.
When Xuan Shang saw the Void Beast stopping, he knew that the fifth kiln had brought about the expected effect.
Su Ming stood up, and when he turned his head around, he looked at Xuan Shang and his group in the distance. He lifted his foot and took a step forward. At the instant his foot landed, he had already moved through space and appeared in front of Xuan Shang.
"Continue," he said faintly.
Xuan Shang remained silent for a moment before saying decisively, "I am a True Guard from True Sacred Yin World stationed in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence! Or rather, there have been generations of members from the Xuan Family who have served as True Guards. We trace back to ten thousand something years ago. At that time, my ancestor coincidentally found a plate.
"It was a strange, with an everlasting flame on it. Generations of my family researched the plate and found that… the flames on it weren't normal flames, but they were never able to figure out just what type of flames they were.
"You saw the color of the flames back then. This sort of flame will not extinguish for nearly ten thousand years, and it is stored in the plate. No one knows how it appeared or how it came to be, but no matter where it is, as long as we swing that plate, the flames will immediately appear and burn everything…
"Seven thousand years ago, a Progenitor from the Xuan Family used some unknown method to ascertain the plate's identity in an auction held in Black Ink Planet. It showed up to be a relic left behind by the previous tribe leader of Dust Burners!
"Before the auction in Black Ink Planet ended, the Progenitor went through… a monstrous sea of fire that appears once the fifth kiln is activated. The sea of fire might not have swept up Black Ink Planet, but he could see it on Black Ink Planet. That indescribable flame and the dark color of the flame… was the fire on the plate!" Xuan Shang said calmly.
"Is the fifth kiln connected to Dust Burners?" A glint appeared in Su Ming's eyes as he looked at Xuan Shang.
"They are definitely connected!" Xuan Shang nodded. "That is why, over the years, the True Guards from Xuan Family would secretly search for the path leading to Dust Burners. We spent several thousands of years, and we finally found an incomplete map. On it are some clues regarding the inner parts of Divine Essence Star Ocean. There are also some marks about Dust Burners," Xuan Shang explained while looking at Su Ming.
"As one of the four venerated races, Dust Burners have a Master of Fate, Lives, and Death among them. On… what basis are you going there?" Su Ming asked flatly.
"Based on the first Progenitor of Xuan Family being friends with a person in True Sacred Yin World in the past. That person gifted my family's Progenitor with a supreme treasure. Even a Masters of Fate, Lives, and Death will not be able to see any clues when this supreme treasure provides us with a cover.
"The meaning behind this treasure is greater than its effect. With this treasure around, Xuan Family can exist eternally in True Sacred Yin World, and no one will easily dare to snatch this treasure. More importantly, besides the treasure being connected to the blood of the Xuan Family, the person who gave us this treasure… is the current Sublime Paragon of True Sacred Yin World!" Once Xuan Shang finished saying these words, his eyes bore into Su Ming.
"We are also heading there based on our confidence with fellow Daoist Hua's Soul Sealing Art, fellow Daoist Yun's Aura Devouring and Transformation Art, as well as fellow Daoist Nian's Great Annual Wheel Dharma Art, which is an Art passed down through generations of their family. It is a pity that three more of our friends died, or else with the seven of us together and the supreme treasure running through our bodies, we could have all turned into one." Xuan Shang sighed.
A brilliant sparkle shone in Su Ming's eyes. He smiled.
"You're intending to disguise yourselves as a Dust Burner and blend among them, right? And you should be thinking about using the status of a lost son of the previous Dust Burner's tribe leader. If I'm not wrong, your family's Progenitor did not just obtain a plate in the past. He also obtained… a corpse!" Su Ming's voice was calm, but once he said it, a huge storm stirred up in Xuan Shang's heart, even though his expression remained the same.
He cast a deep look at Su Ming. This was the first time he met someone like him, who could discover the truth based on the few clues in his words.
It was just as Su Ming said. His family's Progenitor had discovered a corpse in the past, but it was not the whole corpse, only half of it!
"Based on this, that supreme treasure of your family can not only hide your presences, but also transform them. Only then would no one be able to see through anything in your plan," Su Ming said calmly.
Xuan Shang smiled wryly, then wrapped his fist in his palm towards Su Ming. He might not have said it out loud, but the two of them already knew what was going on. As for the three cultivators by the side, there was now wariness in their eyes when they looked at Su Ming.
They were not just wary of his level of cultivation and his great power. They were also wary of how meticulous he was in his thoughts.
"I would not dare to hide from you, I had indeed thought of this. This was also what the members of the Xuan Family have concluded. This is the only way that we would be able to blend into the Dust Burners. After all… the Xuan Family does not have a Master of Fate, Lives, and Death.
"That is why we contacted our other old acquaintances in the other true worlds and gathered a total of seven people. Three thousand years ago, we stepped into the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, and we have been preparing for this for a long time. Once we perfected our coordination, we entered the inner parts of Divine Essence Star Ocean.
"But it's a pity. On our way here, we ran into danger that we could not avoid, and three of our friends died." Xuan Shang's expression filled with grief as he spoke slowly.
"But since we ran into you, senior, it means that we have gained a greater chance in success. With you around, we will definitely be able to come into contact with the fifth kiln's secret. In fact, there is even a possibility that we will enter the fifth kiln!" A hint of resolve and hope appeared in Xuan Shang's eyes.
Su Ming stared at Xuan Shang. He could tell that this person was telling him partial truths, and there were things he did not say. This was understandable. After all, if he told everyone everything, then he would not have survived till now. It would also have been impossible for him to get to the later stage of World Plane Realm.
"How are you dividing the spoils?" Su Ming asked faintly. He was throwing this question out with the intention to test waters and learn just what sort of treasures were in the fifth kiln. After all, besides the fifth stone, Su Ming did not know the details of what else was in there. However, based on the resolve he saw on these four, it was clearly that they had a certain item that they were determined to get no matter what.
"Senior, do you have anything that you absolutely intend to obtain?" Xuan Shang immediately asked, avoiding Su Ming's question. Clearly, he did not want to say what they wanted.
Su Ming smiled and did not continue with his question. Instead, he answered firmly and decisively. "I only want the fifth stone!"
Xuan Shang immediately nodded. The other three people beside him also let out sighs of relief. They might not have had much dealings with Su Ming, but their instincts told them that he was not a person who would go back on his promises. As for the fifth stone, even though they also wanted to obtain it, compared to their true goal, this item could be ignored.
"Then…" A faint smile appeared on Xuan Shang's face. He quelled the excitement in his heart. He knew that the chances of success in this operation would soon become greater. Just as he was about to say something, Xu Hui suddenly chuckled lightly beside Su Ming.
"I want a rouge jade."
When she said this, Xuan Shang and his group's expressions immediately changed slightly.
"Hmm? Could it be that me joining you is not valuable, even with my level of cultivation?" Xu Hui asked with a smile.
Xuan Shang smiled wryly. He looked at Nian Yin, who remained silent for some time before gritting his teeth and nodding. The rouge jade was one of the two objects that he wanted in the fifth kiln.
"Your Grandpa Crane too! I want crystals! Loads and loads of crystals!" When the bald crane saw that Su Ming and Xu Hui had obtained benefits out of this, its spirits were immediately lifted and it shouted loudly.
Once it finished speaking, to make itself seem more convincing, it swayed its body and turned into Su Ming. Then it moved again. Judging by its actions, it looked like it wanted to transform into Xu Hui as well, but when she looked towards it with a grin, and the bald crane's heart let out a loud thump against its chest. It then forced itself to stop after it had transformed halfway. The bald crane then quickly turned into Xuan Shang, then Yun You, Hua Yu, and Nian Yin's appearances. It even took the form of a Heaven Traverser after that.
"How is it? Heh heh, if I join you, I should be worth several hundreds of millions of crystals, right?" In the end, the bald crane looked at the flabbergasted quartet with a smug look.
"All the crystals in the fifth kiln will belong to you!" Excitement appeared on Xuan Shang's face. The bald crane's transformations perfected the final step of his plan of blending into the Dust Burners.
Chapter 966: Main Soul
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The core of the inner part of Divine Essence Star Ocean was quiet. From the distance, the place looked empty, but there was dazzling light spilling out in all directions, filling the place with an unequalled beauty.
Rarely would cultivators come here, or rather, there were very few cultivators who could manage to come to this place. Even for Su Ming and Xu Hui, if they did not have Ninth Tribe's map, it would have been very difficult to arrive here.
As for Xuan Shang and his group, they had also only reached this region after going through plenty of hardships. They had prepared for this for thousands of years, yet they had still been reduced to the current four from their initial seven.
"Based on the incomplete map I have with me, if we move forward for a month, we will reach Dust Burners' territory. That's why we should make some preparations here." Xuan Shang looked at Su Ming.
"Xuan Family's supreme treasure can contain several people within it, and it can change its external appearance at will. With the Paragon Crane's transformations, there will not be a single flaw in our presence and external appearance."
As Xuan Shang spoke, he raised his right hand, placed his finger in his mouth, and bit down on it. Immediately, blood seeped out, and Xuan Shang formed a seal with his right hand. After a moment, he pushed his hand forward. The blood on his fingertip started changing rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, it turned gold.
The now gold blood flew out and shone with a golden light in front of the group, then swiftly expanded to the size of a fist.
"My fellow Daoists and two seniors, please offer up your fresh blood so that my family's supreme treasure can remember your presence. With it, it will accommodate all of you in it. There is no danger in this, and while I might not dare to call myself an honest and forthright person, I am definitely not a despicable person either, so you don't have to worry," Xuan Shang said in a low voice.
Nian Yin was the first to bite his fingertip and fling out his blood. It charged at the gold blood and came into contact with it, fusing with it in the blink of an eye. Immediately, the black blood looked as if it was boiling and swelled up again. This time, it swelled up to the size of a head. It was still gold inside, and it could be clearly seen that a faint golden light had appeared around Nian Yin's body, as if there was some form of connection between him and the ball of blood.
It was the same for Xuan Shang.
Yun You hesitated for a moment before he gritted his teeth and bit his fingertip. Then, he too offered up his blood. After a moment, the golden blood became bigger once more, and the golden light also appeared around Yun You.
Hua Yu was the last among the four to offer up his blood. His blood was different from the others. There was a hint of blue within red, making it seem as if it was nearly purple. When his blood fused into the golden ball, it immediately started tumbling about furiously. Once it swelled up to the size of an average man's height, it stopped growing.
"Seniors, please!" Xuan Shang looked towards Su Ming and Xu Hui.
"I'll do it first."
Xu Hui smiled. Right before Su Ming, she swung her hand, and the blood from her fingertip fused into the golden ball. She was already in Lunar Kalpa Realm, so the moment her blood touched the golden ball of blood, it started to boil with an unprecedented intensity.
This scene caused Xuan Shang and his group to focus their attention on the ball, but they were not too surprised by it. Clearly, the levels of cultivation from the people offering their blood would determine the size of the ball of blood.
The golden ball swelled up rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it grew to become one hundred something feet tall from its previous height of an average man. It floated in front of the group with golden light shining from it, causing all the people beside Su Ming to look as if they were wearing a golden cloak.
Xu Hui closed her eyes. After a moment, when she opened them, she looked towards Su Ming. "This is a form of acknowledgment. Once your blood fuses with it, you will obtain the supreme treasure's protection. There is no problem with it."
Su Ming stared at the ball of blood which had now grown to one hundred something feet. After remaining silent for some time, he bit his fingertip and offered up his own blood. This was the blood of his cultivation base clone, but that blood contained the presences of his clone that practiced the Art of Swallowing Hollow Shadows Whole and his Ecang Clone. His blood might have seemed incredibly normal, but the instant it appeared, the golden ball that was one hundred something feet started shuddering fiercely.
It was not doing so due to excitement. All the people in the area could sense that it was shuddering from fear. This stunned Xuan Shang and the other four.
Su Ming swung his blood forward and had it rush into the golden ball. The golden ball immediately moved back, but as if it was sentient and attracted to it, Su Ming's blood increased its speed, and before the group could react, it touched the golden ball.
A shrill scream of pain tumbled out of Xuan Shang's lips, and Yun You, Nian Yin, and Hua Yu followed suit. Even Xu Hui's face instantly turned pale, and pain appeared on her face.
At that instant, they felt a powerful impact coming from their souls. This was a form of decentralization from the golden ball of blood once it sensed danger.
Xuan Shang's face turned pale, and he immediately asked in a piercing voice, "Senior, what are you doing?!"
Su Ming frowned. He not done anything, only delivered his blood. He did not think that the golden ball of blood would react this way. The moment his blood fused into the golden ball, a powerful rejection came from inside it.
This form of rejection was due to the golden ball of blood trying its hardest to push out Su Ming's blood, but as if there was an incredibly powerful devouring ability within Su Ming's blood, the more the golden ball of blood rejected it, the more it seeped into the core.
"I didn't do anything. This supreme treasure of yours refuses to have my blood fuse into it," Su Ming said faintly. He could sense something from it. This was connected to his inborn ability as an Abyss Builder, so even a drop of his blood contained a powerful Possessive power.
Also, this was probably connected to his Ecang clone as well. After all, if even a Sublime Paragon of True Sacred Yin World might not be able to be on par with Ecang in terms of status as a lifeform, then it would be even more so for an Enchanted Treasure he created.
Xuan Shang's expression changed continuously. His family had used this supreme treasure many times, but they had never run into something like this before. He gritted his teeth. From what he could sense from the treasure, he could tell that what Su Ming said was true. It was indeed the supreme treasure rejecting him, and in a very powerful manner.
"Damn it…" Xuan Shang immediately used a unique Mind Art to control the supreme treasure so that it would not reject Su Ming but would absorb his blood.
Even a supreme treasure was still an Enchanted Treasure. As long as they were treasures, then even if they possessed spirits, they would still have masters. That was why Xuan Family's supreme treasure gradually stopped rejecting Su Ming's blood and fiercely fighting against the Possessive power contained in it, but allowed them to fuse together.
When they did so, a powerful roar erupted in Xuan Shang's ears and echoed in Xu Hui's heart. The golden ball of blood expanded at that moment. In the blink of an eye, it turned several thousands of feet all, and its color… changed from gold to black!
The dark shade was similar to the galaxy's color, as if they could fuse together and disappear. Xuan Shang's face was pale, and there was disbelief as well as incomprehension on his face. The Xuan Family had used this supreme treasure many times, but this was the first time its color had been changed to a shade of black.
For some unknown reason, at the instant he looked over, a sinister feeling that spread with no end entered his heart It was the exact same feeling he got when he saw Su Ming the first time.
Compared to the other 's stupefaction and astonishment, Xuan Shang's heart let out a loud thump. After all, this was Xuan Family's Enchanted Treasure, so his understanding towards this treasure was incredibly deep, and he knew clearly that the color of the blood would determine who would own the ball of blood after it accommodated them. He was originally confident that even if it was Su Ming and Xu Hui, they would assimilate with the supreme treasure. They might not be controlled by him, but they could only provide power, and the core person who would determine how the supreme treasure would transform would be him.
However, the moment the golden blood turned black, even though he could still sense the connection of blood between him and the treasure, he had a feeling as if his own belongings had decided to listen to another person's commands.
In anguish, his gaze when he looked towards Su Ming contained an even deeper wariness and fear compared to the past.
Su Ming looked at the black ball of blood, then after a period of silence, he smiled.
"Me too!"
When the bald crane saw the other people doing things, it immediately shouted loudly to prevent them from casting it aside and making it lose its chance to obtain crystals. It was illusory body, but no one except Su Ming knew about this. Without even batting an eyelid, the bald crane bit the tip of its wing, and blood flew out to fuse into the ball of blood before it disappeared without a trace.
It might have seemed like fusion, but all of this was fake.
There was a connection between the bald crane and Su Ming's souls, which was why even if it did not offer up its blood, the effect would still be the same.
"I think I understand the basic principles of this supreme treasure, but I will still need your help with it, fellow Daoist Xuan." Su Ming looked towards Xuan Shang.
Xuan Shang smiled wryly. This feeling of having his control snatched from his hands in the open caused him to be unable to find a way to resolve his frustrations even if he was feeling indignant.
"Please use your hands to touch the ball of blood. It will suck you in, and then the ball will transform." Xuan Shang put away his gloomy feelings. Since this was the road he'd chosen, he could only continue treading it.
Once he finished speaking, he became the first to walk next to the ball of blood. He pressed his right hand on it, and immediately fused into it. Then, Yun You, Hua Yu, and Nian Yin did the same. Xu Hui turned her head around to look at Su Ming, then with a gentle expression, she too fused into the ball of blood.
The last were the bald crane and Su Ming. As for the Abyss Dragon, Su Ming had already put it away. Su Ming also sent away the Void Beast to wait for his call.
When Su Ming fused into the black ball of blood, he sensed that his body was enveloped by liquid. A strange connection rose swiftly in his heart. He could sense Xuan Shang and his group's presences as well as that Xu Hui was right by his side. He could also sense that all of their power would gather together with just a single thought from him, and that power would be shown outside.
In fact, they only needed to communicate with divine thoughts for all of them to know what the others were thinking.
If Su Ming was to compare this black ball of blood to a single person's body, then at that moment, he and the others were six different souls within that one body.
Chapter 967: A Show
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
One body, six souls!
Not every soul could control this body. Even though they were all inside it, only one soul could control it. This soul was the main soul, while the other five acted as assistants.
Originally, the position of the main soul belonged to Xuan Shang due to his natural advantage, but due to the transformation brought by Su Ming's blood, the main soul became Su Ming.
If a normal person had six souls in his body, then when the main soul controlled the body, the other five would be in deep sleep. Yet now, the black blood which they had entered was formed by a supreme treasure. Because of it, even if Su Ming acted as the main soul, the other five were awake. They could see and sense everything around him. Besides being unable to control the body, they didn't suffer in any other way.
Xuan Shang might have lost his ability to control the supreme treasure, but he was not too worried about being under someone else's control. Forget the fact that he was not Su Ming's opponent with his level of cultivation, if Su Ming wanted to kill them, he had plenty of methods to do so.
Besides, he was not worried that Su Ming would harbor covetous thoughts for this supreme treasure either. In True Sacred Yin World, there were too many people who lusted after this treasure, but no one dared to fight for it. This was a treasure that belonged to their Sublime Paragon. Without sufficient power, touching it would mean causing trouble to themselves.
Besides, even if he was unable to control this supreme treasure now, this treasure still belonged to the Xuan Family, and it was connected to them by blood. Because of it, as long as he wanted to, he could make the supreme treasure instantly dissolve, causing the people to immediately separate from each other.
Due to all this, Xuan Shang felt at ease. When he sent his divine thought to Su Ming, he also formed a picture in everyone's heads.
"Senior, please think of this picture in your heart. My fellow Daoists, we have to join in as well. Let us fall into a trance with this picture in mind. Do not be distracted and don't add in other things as you wish. By doing so, the ball of blood will turn into the shape I just sent you." Xuan Shang's voice echoed in the people's hearts, and soon a person's image appeared in their heads.
It was a thin middle-aged man. He was fair, and his hair was a flaming shade of red, while his pupils were blue. At the center of his brows was a ring-shaped mark formed by nine balls of flame.
He was dressed in a long hide robe. His face was pale, and there were nine blue lines on his right arm. They were branded deep into his flesh, and they flickered as if there were flames contained within them.
On his chest was a huge gash. That wound had already rotated slightly, which was a telling sign that he had been injured badly and unable to heal himself.
"This is a Dust Burner we formed based on the body of the Dust Burners' previous tribe leader as well as the near ten thousand years of understanding we have on them. We set this person's identity as a descendant of Dust Burners' previous tribe leader. When he was born, his father died. He drifted about with the relics from his father while searching for him. At one point, he was injured badly and swept into a Relocation Vortex. When he came here, he fell unconscious."
"The wound is too fake." Su Ming sent his thoughts to the others. "There are also far too many coincidences with him being Relocated here."
"Senior, what do you mean?" Xuan Shang immediately sent his thoughts over.
"He should have your map in his hands and have come to this place based on it. His injuries should not be on his chest, but on his entire body. All of you, imitate the wounds you see based on my imagination."
As Su Ming spoke, his divine thought changed, and the injuries on the middle-aged man's chest immediately healed in their heads. There was a faint scar there; however, his whole body now wore countless wounds that were healing. They seemed to have been left behind by claws that had ripped through his skin.
Aside from these, there were also endless small dots on his body. They were small holes that could not close up and heal, and everyone could imagine that the ones who had caused them had been thin and long worms.
There was also a long scar on the man's face. The appearance of that scar not only made the person look slightly more ferocious, but also made him exude a thick, ancient air.
"This person cannot be unconscious. He has to be awake to find his people," Su Ming said faintly.
"If that is the case, we will have many things that we will have to take into account." Xuan Shang hesitated for a moment. He knew that having the person they were about to change into fall into a state of unconsciousness was also slightly inappropriate, but if he was not unconscious, then they might reveal themselves right from the start.
"I will control him," Su Ming said calmly.
Xuan Shang thought about it for a moment before he gritted his teeth and chose to agree. Gradually, as the same image appeared in the others' head, the black ball of blood standing thousands of feet tall in the galaxy boiled, tumbled about, and shrank swiftly.
The bald crane's Transformation Art fused together with supreme treasure's transformation. They complemented each other, causing the transformation to be even more perfect.
As the black blood shrank, the silhouette of a person was gradually formed. After the around the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, what appeared in the galaxy was no longer black blood… but a middle-aged man covered in wounds and a scar on his face. His expression exuded an ancient air.
There were nine balls of flames that formed a ring at the center of the man's brows, while nine blue lines on his right arm looked as if they contained flames. He stood in the galaxy with his eyes closed.
Several breaths later, his eyes flew open. His blue eyes were originally blank, but they soon gained a sparkle of intelligence and perplexity.
He looked like a wanderer who had lost his home and was no longer able to find his way back. That perplexity was not shown obviously but was hidden deep in his heart. He stood quietly in the galaxy and looked at his surroundings silently, as if he could find a hint of familiarity in all the unfamiliar sights around him.
After a long while, he dipped his head down and looked at his body, at the countless wounds on it. Some of them were healing, and some were not. The claws marks were left behind by Waves of Tears, while the small holes were left behind by some creatures he fought against that were incredibly difficult to deal with on his way to the inner part of Divine Essence Star Ocean.
There were plenty of other wounds on his body as well. Some of them were external, and some were internal. However, the wounds that covered his body did not seem important to him. The fatigue in his heart was born from the insistence to search for his people despite crying silently because he had no parents, no family, and no kin since young. This emotion had accompanied him for his whole life, turning into fatigue deep in his heart, and it would never melt away.
"Home…" Su Ming mumbled softly, as if he was truly an orphan of Dust Burners who finally found his homeland after going through far too many things. There was not just perplexity in his gaze, but also hesitation… along with an incredibly powerful grudge.
It was as if he was resenting the universe's injustice and his people for forgetting him.
At that moment, the other five souls in his body turned dead silent… They could sense Su Ming's current state and the transformations that occurred on the body under his control. The more it went on, the more shocked they became.
"It's too alike!"
"This-this feeling, it's precisely this feeling we want!"
"It was the most correct decision to let you control this body, senior! If it was me, it would have been difficult for me to execute it so perfectly!"
Xuan Shang was incredibly excited as he watched Su Ming control the body and sensed the emotions on it. It was difficult to imagine how anyone who had never gone through this personally would be able to bring out this authentic feeling.
Su Ming watched the galaxy in the distance, and the perplexity in his eyes slowly disappeared. The hesitation in his heart was also forced down. As a hint of resentment appeared in his eyes, he took a step forward.
He was so quick that in the blink of an eye, he had already went extremely far. A blue sea of fire spread from the nine blue lines. As they surrounded his body, they also went under his feet, causing him to become so quick that he disappeared without a trace.
Su Ming maintained this high speed. He was not the sole person providing the energy necessary for it, since it was split by all six people. Because of that, Su Ming could sense that even the offensive power erupting from this body had become incredibly shocking as the six of them were combined together.
It could bring forth power… that surpassed Solar Kalpa Realm. In fact, this body was already infinitesimally close to becoming a Master of Fate, and this was before Su Ming even fused his Ecang clone, or else he could make this body possess power that surpassed what Su Ming could bring forth at his strongest, even if it would still be unable to obtain power equivalent to a Master of Fate, Lives, and Death. Yet… he could certainly make Masters of Fate who had yet to master fate frown and think that it would be incredibly difficult to fight against that body.
Su Ming was so quick that he surpassed his original speed by a lot. This was the speed the body had obtained after the six of them had fused together. And it was not a normal fusion, but summation!
The terrifying aspect of this summation was the important feature in the supreme treasure that allowed the Xuan Family to become successful.
Su Ming's speed instantly reached a state where he was moving at a speed equivalent to shifting. In fact, as he moved forward, for the first time ever he didn't notify the Duke of Crimson Flame before shifting. All he needed to do it himself was to think about it.
This outburst of speed surpassed Xuan Shang and the other people's expectations. The trip that was previously estimated to require one month would now only need half a month based on the speed at which they were traveling.
Time trickled by, and days went by. As Su Ming moved forward at his extreme speed, he looked like a shooting star in the galaxy. As loud bangs shot up in the air, he sliced through endless ripples. In the blink of an eye, half a month was over.
On the sixteenth day, an endless amount of fog that filled the entire area appeared before him. The fog might have seemed as such at first glance, but if anyone took a closer look, they would find that it was a sea of fire in the form of fog!
Before the body even closed in, a wave of hot air that could burn a person into a crisp came crashing into their faces, but Su Ming did not stop moving. He charged towards the fog with resentment hidden in his eyes, as well as murderous aura.
Looking like that, he took a step forward. He was so quick that in the blink of an eye, he turned into a long arc that charged into the distance.
Xuan Shang and the others immediately sensed the murderous aura. After being momentarily stunned, they immediately sent their thoughts to Su Ming. Only Xu Hui looked as if she was absorbed in her own thoughts.
"Senior, quick, put away that murderous aura of yours. This is…"
"What does he want to do?"
"Noisy!"
Su Ming's divine thought echoed calmly in the body. Not only did he not stop, but he became even faster. With a bang, he rushed into the fog that was a sea of fire. At the instant he stepped there, he felt the space around him distort. This was the dimension itself distorting under the extreme heat.
"Dust Burners, come out!" Su Ming threw his head back and roared when he was in the fog. In that roar was resentment, readiness to risk everything, desolation, and an ancient air.
Chapter 968: Dust Burners
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Besides Xu Hui remaining calm, the four cultivators' expressions changed. They were feeling rather anxious and were unable to tell what Su Ming was thinking.
In truth, this was a manifestation of an insider being too concerned with someone else's matter, or else they would not feel so perturbed with their intelligence.
Xuan Shang hesitated for a moment before laughing wryly. It was impossible for him to deactivate the supreme treasure at this moment without everything coming to naught. As he sighed, he calmed his heart and mulled over Su Ming's actions. Gradually, a hint of understanding appeared on his face.
The other three also forced themselves to calm down in this state where they could do nothing. As they pondered over it, they came up with a few reasons for to Su Ming's behavior.
He was mixing the truth with falsehood!
They were intending to pass themselves as the real son of the tribe leader, but under Su Ming's control, this deception got infinitesimally close to the truth. In fact, it would soon no longer be a falsehood mixed in truth, but be turned into the truth from a lie by him!
This was the true epitome of passing off a deception as the truth… without causing chaos!
In the sea of fire that had turned into fog, Su Ming controlled the body as he charged forward. Mixed in with the sadness and anger on his face, there were a lot more complicated emotions. As he roared in a hoarse voice, it seemed as if he was venting his frustrations.
"Dust Burners, get out here!"
Su Ming's words were deep and sonorous. It spread out and reverberated in the fog brought by the sea of fire before going in all directions and lingering for a long time without disappearing.
As time trickled by, Su Ming controlled the body to travel even faster through the fog. His grudge-filled roars continued echoing in space, but the Dust Burners had yet to appear.
However, the fog created by the sea of fire around him seemed to be guided forward as he charged ahead, a form of friction seemed to be created due to that. This friction caused the fog around Su Ming to become hotter. Eventually, blue flames rose with a bang from the fog.
Those flames were initially just sparks, but in an instant, they grew larger and surrounded the area around the body Su Ming controlled. Then, they turned into thick, furious flames. They were formed from the fog, but the fog also came from them, making it seem that the distortion of the dimension was the flames' limit.
At that moment, the fog returned once again into a sea of fire, and with an incredibly high temperature as well as a presence that could burn everything, it charged towards Su Ming from all directions with a loud bang.
The sea of fire submerged his body in the blink of an eye, but the instant it did so, Su Ming let out a cold chuckle.
"You are just mortal fire and your only function is to guard the entrance to the Dust Burners' territory. How dare you come and block my path?!"
Su Ming controlled the body so it raised its right hand to swing its arm forward. Immediately, blue light rose from the nine blue lines of fire. Two of them shone, and as they waved about in the air, the booming sounds in the area surged into heaven. The sea of fire that filled the area and charged towards Su Ming rushed into his right arm. In the blink of an eye, all of it was absorbed by the blue lines.
Almost at the instant Su Ming did so, a cold and sinister snort came from the fog and echoed through the area. Along with the voice came a figure that charged towards him from the distance.
Su Ming's footsteps came to a halt. When he looked over coldly, he saw a young man. There was pride on his face, and there were six marks of flames at the center of his brows. He was dressed in a fire-red long robe. As he strode forward, he instantly appeared in front of Su Ming.
At the instant he looked towards him, his expression changed, and the sound of his snort died off. In fact, he even took a few steps backwards on instinct. With an expression of disbelief, he stared at Su Ming, at the face of the body he controlled, and the nine marks of flames on him.
The more he looked at them, the more familiar became the appearance of the body that Su Ming controlled, especially the nine marks of flames at the center of his brows. It instantly caused him to remember something.
The young man's expression changed drastically, and he cried out in surprise, "Tribe… Tribe leader!"
The body Su Ming controlled was formed based on the corpse Xuan Family obtained in the past. However, some changes had been made, making it appear younger, and it only looked similar to the corpse instead of being identical to him. After all, they were forging a father-son relationship, not imitating the tribe leader himself.
However, to increase the persuasiveness of the similarity between this 'father-son' pair, the body had gone through a lot of modifications, which was why a person who saw it at first glance would have the feeling as if they were looking at the old tribe leader.
The young man had never seen the previous tribe leader in person before, which was why he had not immediately recognized him. However, due to the annual ceremony to worship their ancestors, the portraits of the forty something generations of tribe leaders they worshipped since he was young were etched into his memory, and one of the old tribe leaders looked just like the person he saw right then.
The nine marks of flames between the brows of the body Su Ming controlled acted as the key to guide the young man's thoughts.
Yet soon, once he cried out in surprise, this young man noticed that something was wrong. This person only looked similar to the person in the portrait, but he was not that person. Because of it, when he connected the stories regarding the previous tribe leader to the status of the person in front of him, the answer to his identity arrived at the tip of his tongue!
"Know who I am now?"
Resentment appeared in the eyes of the body Su Ming controlled. He took a step forward, raised his right hand, and seized the air in the direction of the young man.
Shock had already filled the young man's heart. At that moment, he could not bring himself to give raise to any will to fight. As he retreated, he lifted his right hand, placed it by his mouth, and quickly blew a whistle.
The whistle echoed with piercing tone in space. At the instant it spread out, the fog around the area started tumbling. A ball of flame manifested and charged towards the center of the young man's brows. It spun once there and turned into a firebird before rushing out towards the depths of the fog at an incredibly fast speed.
Once he finished doing all this, the young man retreated once more.
Su Ming cast a glance at the firebird. With his power, he could make it stop, but that firebird was clearly used to pass a message. A glint appeared in his eyes. He felt that there was something off about this. After a moment of contemplative silence, he went to chase after the young man.
When the young man retreated, his expression was one of incredible nervousness. Once he saw that Su Ming was chasing after him, he muttered a curse, and fog instantly rose around him. It turned into an image of flames in front of him and charged behind him.
Su Ming did not say a single word. He did not even spare a single glance at the incoming image of fire and just rushed forward, crashing straight through it. As a loud bang reverberated, a deafening sound of something shattering spread through space. The fire image shuddered, and Su Ming went straight through it. He raised his right hand and quickly seized the air in the direction of the young man.
With it, the fog around him looked as if it was ordered around and turned into a gigantic fire hand to grab its prey.
The young man's expression changed. When he saw that the hand was about to catch up to him, he gritted his teeth with vicious intensity, wrapped his arms around his chest, bent his body, and curled himself into a ball. Once he did so, he stretched his limbs outwards, and the six marks of flames at the center of his brows started flashing intensely, looking as if they were melting each other. Moments after, they formed a single, huge mark of flames.
At the same time, a thick wave of fierce, crimson flames spread out from that mark. In the blink of an eye, it filled the young man's body. As it burned, it changed, and from a human, the young man turned into a flame giant of several dozens of feet.
His clothes could not be seen, and neither could his appearance. The only thing Su Ming saw was a giant formed by flames. There was an incredibly large mark of flames at the center of his brows. He threw his head back and roared, then ran towards the palm from Su Ming rushing over to him.
Booming sounds instantly echoed in space. At that instant, Su Ming's eyes focused. He could tell that this Transformation Art was an inborn ability among Dust Burners. It was the same as Heaven Traversers possessing wings. Dust Burners had been able to become one of the four venerated races and exist at the edge of Divine Essence Star Ocean's core because they had this inborn ability to transform.
The young man had originally been only in the middle stage of World Plane Realm, but when he transformed, his level of cultivation instantly increased exponentially and reached the later stage of World Plane Realm.
Yet even so, before Su Ming, he was still… so weak that he could not withstand even a single blow!
If it was not because he wanted to observe the Dust Burners, he could have killed him instantly.
Su Ming's eyes flashed, and he changed the direction of his right hand. Instead of seizing the young man, it turned to slap him. The two crashed into each other. Booming sounds echoed in the air, and the young man let out a shrill scream of pain. As he coughed up fresh blood, his body was sent flying backwards by the slap from the giant flame hand Su Ming had formed in space.
When the transformation due to his innate ability fell apart, the flames scattered, and the young man returned to his original appearance. His face was pale, and he coughed up blood again. Without even having time to wipe away the blood at the corners of his mouth, he used the force of the strike to help him retreat.
Su Ming chased after him. Yet at that moment, the expression of the young man fleeing in the distance relaxed. Dozens of whistles came from within the fog, and it was a sign that a dozen something long arcs were closing in on the area.
Su Ming stopped moving and looked coldly at the source of that sound. Immediately, he saw a dozen something Dust Burners within the long arcs. Most of them were middle-aged men, with only the person in the lead being an ancient old man.
Their expressions were incredibly solemn, and there was disbelief and deep doubt contained within them. When they arrived, the old man took hold of the injured young man. Once he saw his wounds, he frowned. When he raised his head, he looked towards the body Su Ming controlled.
When he saw him, his expression changed drastically. Shock appeared on the faces of those behind him.
"You are…" The old man stared at the face of the body Su Ming controlled. That face was incredibly familiar to him, and what especially gained his attention were the nine marks of flames at the center of the body's brows.
All of these caused the old man's expression to become complicated.
"Well, who do you think I am?!"
In the face of the old man's query, Su Ming threw his head back and laughed. There was enmity in that laughter, along with forlornness, as well as an ancient and anguished air that seemed as if it had been accumulated throughout thousands of years.
The old man fell silent, but in the blink an eye, a hint of resolution appeared in his eyes.
"Seize him!" Once he said these words, the dozen something people behind him stopped moving for a while, as if they were hesitant.
"Seize him!" the old man shouted out again. The dozen something people behind him then gritted their teeth and flew out together to charge towards Su Ming.